The Unifying Ties of Art
I can think of no other word for which every individual will produce a different definition. It is this subjectivity that allows us to ask this question time and time again, never really getting any closer to a universally satisfying answer. As humans, we struggle to come to terms with that which we do not know. But even more so, we struggle to accept that which makes us feel, because emotion is one thing we have little to no control over. Art drags up every feeling we’ve tried to push away and every feeling we’ve struggled to hold on to, and we can’t figure out just how it does it. The truth is that there is no one answer, and this is what makes it art; Art is an interpretation, art evokes emotion, and art demands to be felt.
Because everything we create draws inspiration from somewhere, all art is an interpretation. Even pieces that depict a psychological concept as opposed to a concrete one are still an interpretation of those intangible ideas. There are countless artworks that deal with a common, overarching theme such as sadness and though the main topic of each artwork is clear, the way they are portrayed is never the same. In this way, all art is one person’s interpretation of an external factor.
Art can be anything that makes you feel something. Because this is such an umbrella definition, art can come in many forms. Regardless of the form it takes, all art evokes emotion and makes people feel things. Any emotion elicited is an emotional response to a piece, and because of this art doesn’t have to be beautiful. Art can be grotesque, terrifying, or depressing because all of those are emotional reactions to what you’re witnessing. Often times, art that isn’t happy or positive has a stronger, more lasting impact on those experiencing it. This commonality of an emotional response to art is one of the strongest unifying threads of art.
Going beyond the fact that art evokes emotion, it evokes emotions that demand to be felt. Art simply cannot be ignored. There’s a visceral response that human beings have when it comes to art, and this is consistent throughout all of humanity. These innate responses are unique to art because art makes people feel things like no other expression of ideas in the world.
Art is a human creation like no other. Nothing else we do or make is as impactful or controversial as art, and nothing is as innately human. Since the beginning of humankind, whether intentional or not, we have been creating art. All pieces are art because art is one’s interpretation of anything that evokes an emotion that demands to be felt.
I still firmly believe in my definition of art. Every piece we have learned, from the Apollo 11 stones to the Fountain have further proved my definition correct. Art has no strict definition, but instead has core characteristics that connect each piece with every other piece in the world, no matter their medium or subject matter. This openness and subjectivity of art has been best proven to me through the contemporary and modern artworks we have learned this year. Many of these are not “traditional” art, and yet calling them anything else would be an injustice.
I can think of no other word for which every individual will produce a different definition. It is this subjectivity that allows us to ask this question time and time again, never really getting any closer to a universally satisfying answer. As humans, we struggle to come to terms with that which we do not know. But even more so, we struggle to accept that which makes us feel, because emotion is one thing we have little to no control over. Art drags up every feeling we’ve tried to push away and every feeling we’ve struggled to hold on to, and we can’t figure out just how it does it. The truth is that there is no one answer, and this is what makes it art; Art is an interpretation, art evokes emotion, and art demands to be felt.
Because everything we create draws inspiration from somewhere, all art is an interpretation. Even pieces that depict a psychological concept as opposed to a concrete one are still an interpretation of those intangible ideas. There are countless artworks that deal with a common, overarching theme such as sadness and though the main topic of each artwork is clear, the way they are portrayed is never the same. In this way, all art is one person’s interpretation of an external factor.
Art can be anything that makes you feel something. Because this is such an umbrella definition, art can come in many forms. Regardless of the form it takes, all art evokes emotion and makes people feel things. Any emotion elicited is an emotional response to a piece, and because of this art doesn’t have to be beautiful. Art can be grotesque, terrifying, or depressing because all of those are emotional reactions to what you’re witnessing. Often times, art that isn’t happy or positive has a stronger, more lasting impact on those experiencing it. This commonality of an emotional response to art is one of the strongest unifying threads of art.
Going beyond the fact that art evokes emotion, it evokes emotions that demand to be felt. Art simply cannot be ignored. There’s a visceral response that human beings have when it comes to art, and this is consistent throughout all of humanity. These innate responses are unique to art because art makes people feel things like no other expression of ideas in the world.
Art is a human creation like no other. Nothing else we do or make is as impactful or controversial as art, and nothing is as innately human. Since the beginning of humankind, whether intentional or not, we have been creating art. All pieces are art because art is one’s interpretation of anything that evokes an emotion that demands to be felt.
I still firmly believe in my definition of art. Every piece we have learned, from the Apollo 11 stones to the Fountain have further proved my definition correct. Art has no strict definition, but instead has core characteristics that connect each piece with every other piece in the world, no matter their medium or subject matter. This openness and subjectivity of art has been best proven to me through the contemporary and modern artworks we have learned this year. Many of these are not “traditional” art, and yet calling them anything else would be an injustice.